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Thursday, August 27, 2020

2 more LTG blocks done and a really FAST way to make HSTs!

I finished the Trip around the World block yesterday and the HST #2 block today........moving right along.....3 more days til I have to put it away to start working on the T-Shirt quilt for WOOFA September......or at least work on both......lol.........

Here is the Trip around the World block..........

and the HST #2 block...
(looks like my corners are clipped on the top row but they aren't....they just got cropped with my photo editing....lol)


....I didn't really plan on having the Raggedy Ann scraps I had become a theme but why not?  Raggedy Ann seems appropriate for a Long Time Gone theme, right?

Here is where the 2 new blocks I made fit in this section of the quilt...........next I'll do some churn dash and flying geese blocks to put to the left of the HST #2 and other sections of the quilt............


I just realized that because I made the quarter cabins on my embroidery machine at 5x5 and the pattern calls for 6x6 blocks I will need to make one more block to fit at the top of the quarter cabins......no problem.....I'll do that today!  (Today's quote at the bottom is appropriate here.....)

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NOW..........a fast way to make HSTs....4 at one time!

Yesterday I was browsing the web for images of the HST blocks  others had made for LTG and I came across someone showing how to make 4 HST's at one time.........I couldn't believe how EASY this is.......this is the way I will make HSTs from now on.....

So there is a formula:  Whatever size you want your HST's to be, you divide that number by .64 and whatever the resulting number is...that's the size square you will start with....I wanted to make 2 and a half inch HSTs:

2.5/.64 =3.90625

 so you round up........it is better to make it a little larger and then trim to the size you want...


Put one square over the other with right sides together and sew a scant quarter inch seam all the way around.....



Now take your ruler and rotary cutter and cut exactly from corner to corner..........




and that's it!  You now have 4 perfect HSTs!!!



I've been sewing for years and I never saw this before.......obviously there is a seamstress out there that is also good at math and geometry who figured this out for us!....

Maybe some of you have already been making HSTs this way but for those who haven't.....try it......wow!  It's amazing!




6 comments:

Cheryll said...

Your blocks are growing quickly... well done....xox

Needled Mom said...

Those new blocks look great. That would be a nice way to do the HSTs. Does that mean that the edges are on the bias? I’m looking forward to seeing your cute churn dash blocks.

Maria said...

Your blocks look great . Really like Raggidy Ann in the centre.
I use that method for HSTs and they are on a bias..

Magpie's Mumblings said...

Love that quote - I make variations ALL the time (in everything I do, not just quilting!). Can't imagine making all those itty bitty pieces for those blocks. Yet more proof that I'll never be a real sane quilter. And if I ever DO decide I need to make HST's I'll definitely use your tutorial...thank you.

Sheryl said...

Lovely quilt work, the blocks look great.

Pink Rose said...

Hi Ida wow you sure do beautiful projects and thankyou for sharing your tutorial with us,well done my friend xx